Disclaimer: All JK Rowling's.

This was written for a LiveJournal community, 30minutefics, where you try to write a fic response to a challenge in 30 minutes or under. Needless to say, it is not my best written piece.

I wrote this before re-reading the little article snippet in HBP about Stan's arrest.. So it isn't exactly how it happened in the book. I think it said he was arrested at his home? It's also not the best piece I have ever written

.I find the lack of Stan fics appalling.. I mean, he doesn't even have his own character tab! By the way, if anybody can suggest the site people that they should add Stan to the list that would be lovely. I attempted to figure out how, but I can't figure out how to navigate the FAQ section of this site... Sad, I know.

Anyways, enjoy!
- Dana

"Where to, Miss?" Stan Shunpike asked a kind faced, middle-aged woman. She appeared as though she threatened to fall down, dead asleep, at any given moment.

"The Ministry-" she failed to stifle a yawn, "-of Magic." Her cheeks flushed to a delicate tint of pink.

A grin spread across Stan's pimply face as he ushered the woman inside the Knight Bus. People are funny when tired.

Dropping her bag beside an empty, he handed the woman her receipt, then ventured to the front of the bus. "She'll be the last pick up, Erne. The sun's coming up, eh." The driver nodded in acknowledgement and continued to plow down the street while objects and geographical features leapt hurriedly out of the way.

Taking a seat and closing his eyes, Stan let out a long, much needed sigh. Nowadays, he did not like to mingle with the passengers. He simply did not trust strangers anymore; except for Ernie, that is. He wasn't all too fond of the Ministry as of lately either; the way they had treated Harry Potter the year before was ghastly. Claiming the boy was mentally insane. Stan was sure Potter was telling the truth and if the Ministry had to wait and see He Who Must Not Be Named in the flesh and blood to believe the boy, then Stan considered them to be a bunch of incompetent fools.

Stan's eyes shot open as though his eyelids had been forcefully pried. It took him a moment to realize the bus had halted before the Ministry's phone booth, and that Ernie had actually pried his eyelids open. He swatted the driver away from him.

"'Scuse me, Miss," Stan called to the kind looking woman.

She grunted loudly and emerged, seemingly disoriented, in front of the young man with her hair flattened on one side and jutting out at odd angles on the other. She must have been asleep.

"We're at the front o' the Ministry." Stan smiled as her cheeks flushed pink once again.

People are funny when disoriented.

Carrying her bags, Stan walked out of the bus with her. "Bit early to go to work, don' choo think?"

The woman's face seemed to transform in a split second: from kind to sickly determined; almost cruel. Stan stepped back in surprise.

"Mr Shunpike," she said harshly and drew her wand on him. "You are under arrest for suspicious Death Eater activity. We've raided your flat and have decided to take you in." She smirked at his shocked expression.

Stan's eyes widened considerably as his wrists were encompassed in irons. "Me?" he gasped. "A Death Eater?" He opened and closed his mouth several times, but no other sound seemed to leave his lips.

"Don't even try to escape," she ordered as she retrieved Stan's wand from his coat pocket. "You are surrounded by top Aurors."

Stan reluctantly allowed the woman to lead him into the phone booth for an almost certain Azkaban sentence. He shuddered at the thought, then looked grimly at the woman. You never do know whom you can trust, he thought to himself.

People are funny when caught off their guard.

Thanks for reading.

Reviewers get the virtual cookie of their choice!

- Dana